Israel imports patented antivirals for treating COVID-19

Israel has approved generic versions of an HIV antiviral owned by  AbbVie for use in treating coronavirus, despite the company still holding patent protection and doubts over its effectiveness.

AbbVie’s patent for Kaletra (lopinavir–ritonavir) is not set to expire in Israel until 2024, although exclusivity has lapsed in other countries.

An AbbVie spokesperson told  Stat News that the company had agreed not to block generic versions of the drug after consulting with the Israeli government.

“Given this important public health crisis, AbbVie commits that we will take all steps necessary to remove any potential barriers to alternate sources of supply, including dedicating to the public our IP related to (the drug). We will communicate with generic manufacturers our intention,” the spokesperson said.

The move came after the Israeli ministry of justice said it would allow imports of generics from other countries to meet a shortfall in supply of the drug.

“The company with the patent and the official importer in Israel are not able to supply the necessary inventory for this drug, which is very much in demand all over the world these days,” a department statement said.

“Therefore ... the state will be able to import generic substitutes from countries where the patent has expired,” it added.

The Kaletra generics will be used to treat coronavirus, rather than their normal usage as HIV antivirals.

One study published in  The  New England Journal of Medicine last week found that Kaletra was not effective for treating hospitalised coronavirus patients.

“In hospitalised adult patients with severe COVID-19, no benefit was observed with lopinavir–ritonavir treatment beyond standard care. Future trials in patients with severe illness may help to confirm or exclude the possibility of a treatment benefit,” the study said.